


cut through all the noise

by stormss



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Declarations Of Love, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Tenderness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29390193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormss/pseuds/stormss
Summary: TK stares up hopelessly at the ceiling, clenching his jaw as he taps his foot against the ground. The noise of his parents' argument of the night seems to bounce off the walls, and he knows it's only going to get worse, if the past month is anything to go by. But tonight, he refuses to deal with it. And so, as the next round of passive-aggressive comments begins, he just grabs his keys and heads out the door. (Or, the first time TK seeks refuge at Carlos' place).*Tarlos Valentine 2021, Day One:Blanket Hogging.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 29
Kudos: 344
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand, Tarlos Valentine 2021





	cut through all the noise

**Author's Note:**

> i really wanted to participate in this event, so i scrambled to get this together in a couple of hours! includes mentions of the canon fighting between owen and gwyneth. the title comes from _ease my mind_ by ben platt. 
> 
> my [tumblr!](https://reyesstrand.tumblr.com/)

TK knows his parents aren't bad people. And he loves them, he does. 

Sometimes he can't stand being in the same house as them, though. 

Barely a month into his healing, TK's still sore. It's not as bad as it was those first couple of weeks after bursting his stitches, but there's still a dull ache that radiates throughout his left arm. But not even that pain comes even close to the headache that often appears around the same time everyday, when his mom's meetings come to an end and his dad gets home from running errands or working a shift, and they're alone together without distraction for the first time in twelve hours. It starts out small—his dad with his offhanded complaints about hair in the shower or his eye cream somehow running low quicker than usual, or his mom making comments about his dad purposefully making smoothies when she's online with a client from Seoul—and then it just gradually gets worse, until somehow they're throwing around blame for him getting shot. 

So yeah, it's a _great_ time. 

He has to admit that he'd almost forgotten what it was like, what having them both in the same house for an extended period of time will do to him. 

It was nice that first week, when he was still initially recovering. He hadn't seen his mom since before they moved down to Austin, and so they spent days giving into their similar love of bad reality TV and getting overpriced coffee. She'd catch onto his bad days and play with his hair like she used to when he was a kid; she'd catch him smiling down at his phone and ask him about Carlos with a knowing look in her eye. But when her flights started being cancelled and it became evident that she'd be staying for an unknown amount of time, the fighting has picked up between his mom and dad, and it's become a constant. 

If he's being honest, it feels like he's suddenly been thrown back to the cramped Manhattan apartment of his childhood. And it just seems like it's never going to end. 

When he comes in from his evening run, TK pauses in the foyer to stretch, cocking his head to the side as one song fades into the next. He pulls one AirPod out and barely holds back from rolling his eyes as he realizes that his parents' voices are louder than his music. He just beelines for the shower, changing into jeans and a hoodie, sighing with annoyance as he makes his way downstairs and still hears the raised voices of his parents. 

_i'm in hell,_ he texts Carlos, strolling toward the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. He grabs a handful of grapes from the bowl on the kitchen island, munching on them as his mom comes in. Her expression softens when she sees him, coming in to squeeze his arm. 

"Hey, sweetie," she says, rolling her eyes in the direction of the stairs, where she's just come from her pointed conversation with his dad. "You sticking around for dinner?" 

"Are you cooking?" TK asks, letting the smile pull at the corner of his mouth when she gapes at him. 

"Coming from my only son," she says, though she's grinning too. Gwyneth ruffles his hair, and he puts on an affronted expression when she does it. 

It's a calm few moments, and it's something he can bask in. 

Even when his dad comes in, the conversation is easy-going. For the most part. And then there's a shift in the air. 

Owen makes his way to the living room, Gwyneth following and continuing the conversation. If the two of them were the same in any way, it was their inability to back down. 

TK stares up hopelessly at the ceiling, clenching his jaw as he taps his foot against the ground. The noise of his parents' argument of the night seems to bounce off the walls, and he knows it's only going to get worse, if the past month is anything to go by. But tonight, he refuses to deal with it.

He stares down at his phone, and sees the response from Carlos— _you know you can come over, if you want—_ and the thought seems too good to pass up on. 

And so, as the next round of passive-aggressive comments begins, he yells out his plans even though he doubts his parents will hear him, he just grabs his keys and heads out the door.

* * *

Carlos meets him at the door, and TK just immediately moves in for a hug. 

His boyfriend opens his arms up without hesitation, pulling him in close and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. It takes a few moments of him burrowing into the heat Carlos seems to radiate before he settles, taking a long, only sort-of shaky breath. 

"Hey, you okay?" Carlos asks, voice dropped low. He brings his hands up and gently cups TK's face, and it's enough to almost make him melt. _Almost._

"Yeah, I just..." TK trails off, looking at the wall behind Carlos' head before meeting his gaze once more. "I needed to get out of there." 

"Well, you're always welcome here," Carlos says, expression fond as always. TK leans into his touch, pressing a kiss to the heel of his palm, before they break away. 

TK plops down on the couch, groaning loud as he stretches his legs out. Carlos joins him, flipping on the TV to something mindless, and as Carlos gently maneuvers him to rest his head on his lap. TK closes his eyes and practically sinks into the touch when his boyfriend starts carding a hand through his hair, blunt nails gently scraping over his scalp. 

It should scare him, how comfortable he feels here with Carlos. They've only really been together for a month, and yet they've fallen into this relationship with so much ease, it feels like it was always meant to be. And even now, with every passing moment, he feels more and more of the stress ooze away, and soon enough, he's practically fallen asleep. 

"Come on," Carlos whispers, ducking down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Stay the night." 

TK hums, slowly blinking his eyes open. "You sure?" 

"Yeah," Carlos says, scratching through his hair once more. "You belong here, Ty." 

He bites at the inside of his cheek, and once he sits up, TK finally gives into his desire to kiss his boyfriend. It's probably one of his favourite things to do, kissing the smile right off Carlos' face, curling his hand into the front of his shirt. Carlos kisses him back enthusiastically, pouring love into it like everything else he does, and TK eventually pulls back to breathe, pressing their foreheads together. "Thank you, babe." 

Carlos smiles at him and brushes their noses together, placing one more quick kiss to the corner of his mouth before tapping him lightly on the side, getting him to his feet. 

And once they make it to Carlos' bedroom, it isn't long until they're both out, wrapped up in each other's arms. 

* * *

TK wakes up with a start, unsure of where he is until he remembers, turning his face into the pillow that smells of Carlos' shampoo. He feels engulfed in comfort, and that increases tenfold when he hears the bedroom door creak and his boyfriend strolls in, dressed in his uniform with the shirt unbuttoned, fastening his belt as he walks. 

"You know, I could get used to this view," TK says, Carlos fondly rolling his eyes at him from across the room. Carlos moves closer to him when he tilts his chin up, kissing him quickly. When TK feels his boyfriend smile into it, he mirrors him, curling his hand around the back of his neck, making the kiss linger. 

"Trying to make me late, Tyler Kennedy?" Carlos asks, and TK pinches his side in retaliation. "First I find out you're a blanket hog, and now this." 

TK gapes at him, heart warming at Carlos' slow-spreading smile. "Lies." 

"Nope. But that just means I get to cuddle you more, so," Carlos shrugs a shoulder, and TK rolls his eyes, though he couldn't stop smiling if he tried. "I have something for you." 

"What's the occasion?" TK asks, and Carlos presses a kiss to his temple. 

"You," Carlos says, and TK huffs a small laugh. 

"You're so sappy, Carlos Reyes," TK ducks in to kiss him again, because he can. 

"I know you're having a tough time at home," Carlos starts, once they pull away. TK gives him a look, because, well, that might be the understatement of the century. He watches as Carlos digs into his pocket, and his heart-rate picks up a little when he sees what's curled up in his fist: a key. "I just want you to have somewhere you can go that's...safe. A place you can call yours." 

TK bites on his bottom lip, slowly moving his gaze from the key to Carlos' eyes. 

"Is this too much?" Carlos asks, searching his face. TK shakes his head, and just curls an arm over his shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. He's done with holding back his feelings for this man—he won't do it anymore. 

"It means everything to me," TK says, pulling back to press their foreheads together. "I love you." 

Carlos' smile makes something warm bloom in TK's chest. "I love you too, Ty." 

He takes the key and it feels like...like a new beginning. One he'll treasure for the rest of time. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments/kudos are always appreciated <3


End file.
